DEMING, N.M. – Senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) tied the school record with 30 kills to go with a .500 hitting percentage and she also added 25 assists and 11 digs as the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball program slipped past the Western New Mexico Mustangs 25-22, 25-27, 25-15, 23-25, 15-13 in Lone Star Conference action on Saturday evening in Deming, N.M.
Brabham's total matched the program record set by Shaday Smith in 2005, when she reached 30 smashes in a match against Tarleton. She boosted her career kills total to 1,035, moving into eighth all-time in Javelina history. This also marked her seventh triple-double of the season.
TAMUK's victory was by no means a one-woman show, however. Senior Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas) posted her first career double-double with a stat line that included 17 kills and 16 digs to go with five total blocks. Junior Loren Washington (Austin, Texas) logged double-double No. 3 in 2018 with 10 kills and as many scoops.
Freshman Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) topped 40 assists for the second time in her rookie season by handing out 42 helpers. Another first-year Javelina, freshman Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas), led a parade of five TAMUK players who tallied at least 10 digs. Murff amassed 23 digs and freshman Alexa Ruiz (Schertz, Texas) reached 10 scoops.
The early part of the first set included seven ties before the Javelinas edged in front 9-7. A run of three straight points later in the frame, which included a pair of blocks from Hutchinson and freshman Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas), pushed TAMUK ahead 16-12. The Mustangs bounced back to tie the set at 21, but four of the last five points went to the Blue and Gold, with a kill by Hutchinson putting the Javs up by a set. Both sides functioned well offensively in the opening stanza, TAMUK attacking to the tune of a .293 clip while WNMU managed a hitting percentage of .279.
Western New Mexico was the first team to establish a significant lead in the second, going up 12-8, thanks in part to a pair of finishers by Delaney Seitz. Four straight points for TAMUK put them level at 12-12 and 10 more ties followed before the score stood at 24 all. From there however, the home team grabbed the final two points and matched the Javelinas at 1-1 thanks to an ace from Hannah Tishlarich.
Eight straight points, including two kills by Brabham, allowed the Javelinas to break a 2-2 tie and seize an eight-point lead. The Mustangs shrunk the deficit to 15-12 before the visitors took off on another run, notching 10 of the final 13 points in the set and grabbing a 2-1 advantage when juniors Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) and Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) combined for a block. Coach Tanya Allen saw her offense produce a .306 kill rate in the frame.
The fourth game saw Western New Mexico utilize a 14-4 run to take control with a 23-15 edge. The Javs used a 7-0 spurt to get within one but WNMU held off the late rally and Christina DuBose's kill forced a fifth set.
A pair of blasts from Brabham and Hutchinson helped TAMUK grab the initiative in the final frame at 6-1, but nine of the next 13 rallies went to the Mustangs, who forged a 10-10 tie. Six points later the frame was even again at 13 before Brabham, fittingly, provided the clutch plays the Javelinas needed. Utilizing a pair of sets from North, Brabham let loose with consecutive kills, clinching the match for the Blue and Gold.
TAMUK's 74 kills were the most by the squad since they matched that total against Midwestern State on Oct. 4th, 2014. They accomplished that number while attacking at .247 clip, besting the .208 mark put together by their hosts.
Kingsville is the next destination for the Javelinas will battle Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday at 7 p.m. on Dig Pink Night at the Steinke Physical Education Center. To keep up with everything related to Javelina volleyball all season long, follow @JavelinaVB on Twitter and @javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Volleyball on Facebook and visit Javelinasports.com.
